With the final advice being provided to him by the Independent Expert Scientific Committee, Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt now has until 9 July to refuse approval for the Watermark open cut coal mine on the Liverpool Plains, says Lock the Gate Alliance.
Lock the Gate Alliance spokesperson Georgina Woods said, “Minister Hunt has enough information now to knock back this damaging coal mine. Its impacts on nationally threatened woodlands and on the water resources of one of this State’s most important agricultural areas are sufficient in scale and intensity to reject the mine.
"What coal companies and Government bodies reassure us beforehand will be minor impact often turns out far worse, after all the scrutiny is over. That is not acceptable on the Liverpool Plains.
“The Independent Expert Scientific Committee has said there will be local impacts on groundwater and salinity. On the Breeza Plain, a 'local impact' is an impact on the heart of the state's agricultural industry. It’s just not worth the risk and Minister Hunt needs to put the community out of its misery, end the uncertainty and refuse approval for this mine,” she said.
Media contact: Georgina Woods 0437 405 932